Steven Nurden - Volkswagen mk7 golf R 2.0L

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This Car is in the Decembers Printed Magazine

Steven Nurden

Volkswagen mk7 golf R 2.0L

Instagram:@n4urd_r

Photographers:

Downshift Media: @down.shift.media

Untypical Media: @untypical_media

I used to be mad about cars when I was younger, especially during the max power days, and always said to myself I would love to have a nice car like that one day. Once I had passed my driving test, I bought my first car (Peugeot 106 Aztec) and like many young lads before me and since, the process of looking for the next car began. I had a few ‘alright’ cars in my teens and early twenties but when max power ceased publication, my interest in cars faded and I began to just appreciate nice cars, but owning one wasn’t such a priority.

Fast forward a few years and the opportunity arose to buy a Renault Megane 250. That was such a great fun car to drive and play around in and rekindled my interest in cars as a hobby. However, due to other circumstances I did not own the Megane for long and the need for so-called sensible cars prevailed.

However, a few years ago my dad bought a brand new mk7 Golf R. He was so taken by it he gave me the keys and told me to take it out and see what I thought. Of course, I didn’t need telling twice, so I jumped in and off I went for one of the most memorable drives of my life. I live in the gorgeous Wiltshire countryside, surrounded by some stunning lanes and roads which I've always considered great driving roads. The drive was exhilarating, and I came back with the biggest smile on my face and the first words to my dad on jumping out of the driving seat were “I am buying that car off you”.

3 years later I was the proud owner of the Golf. In my head, I just wanted to keep it simple. Tint the windows, lower it, and perhaps a remap just to keep it simple and subtle. I stuck to the plan, got the windows tinted and had the car lowered. It was around that time when I was told by a friend of mine to look at the Forums and Groups on Facebook, especially the Golf R page. I can officially say that if it wasn't for doing that, I wouldn't have the car I have today. I wrote a post on the page as soon as I was admitted and asked for recommendations for a place that could remap the engine. I received loads of recommendations, many being a substantial distance away from me, so I had to choose carefully. I finally made my mind up and chose a garage to undertake a stage 1 remap on the car. What was done was simply amazing. What a difference it made, the car drove like a brand new car. I can’t put into words how happy I was with the end result, and I will admit that I thought the work on the car was done at that point and I could now relax and enjoy it…………but that did not last long.

Sitting in my lounge one wet weekend, I was scrolling through the cars on the Golf R Facebook page and began to appreciate the wide range of possibilities and routes that different people take in modifying the cars. I was inspired, yet again, to take mine to the next level. I started to draw up a list, performance modifications, bodywork changes, interior styling. The list continued to grow! I have a very good friend who is an amazing mechanic. I spoke to him about my ideas and I could tell that he was rubbing his hands together with excitement as I messaged and called him about my ideas. I’d ring him and say “I’ve just ordered these new parts, and I want you to fit them for me”. He was a great help in fitting and advising me on this build, and I can't thank him enough for it. Cheers, Chris!

As time went on, the car continued to change. I probably haven’t mentioned that the car was black out of the factory. By this time, it was completely murdered out. Black everything.  I was really proud of what we had achieved so I decided to use my Instagram page to show the car off. Prior to that decision, my use of social media had been quite basic, but I started learning about the use of hashtags and how to get noticed. The car started to draw attention and I started chatting to some new people, making new friends and meeting some awesome people. 

A page caught my eye @vagsocietyuk. This is a big group of likeminded owners and I started posting to the page about my plans for the car and what I was hoping to do next. My posts caught their attention which at the time I couldn't believe. I had come a long way from not knowing anyone in the car scene to piquing interest in a big page like this. Seeing some of the other examples of Golfs on the page, and in particular some of the striking colours, I decided I wanted to move away from the all-black look to something more unique. After doing some research and making some enquiries I decided that I would wrap the car rather than paint it as it would be cheaper, given all the panels that needed doing. I got put in touch with a company called shade wraps and we spoke for a number of weeks, with me throwing different colours at them because I really couldn't make my mind up.

The decision was made whilst out and about with my brother. We caught a glimpse of a car in orange and just had to go and take a look. I wasn’t so keen………but then there it was……whilst looking around, I saw a bright green Hyundai and begged them to tell me what the colour was as I knew straight away that was what I wanted. As soon as I knew the name of the colour, I was straight on the phone to shade wraps and was so thankful that they were able to match the colour. The day came for the car to be wrapped and on unveiling, I was blown away. The colour blew me away………shade wraps had smashed it with the wrap, and I can’t thank them nearly enough. I am now good friends with Jared and Hannah (owners of @vagsocietyuk) and they asked me to become a rep for them. Again, I can’t thank them enough for that. It has opened doors for me to meet even more new people in the car scene. I am currently doing some shots of the car with photographers untypical_media and down.shift.media who have produced some amazing images of the car. Thanks, guys…..

Mods list

Car: Volkswagen mk7 golf R 2.0L

Engine:

• Stage 2 mrc map 408bhp
• Airtec intercooler 
• Cobra decat
• Remus non res exhaust 
• Ungraded plugs
• Racingline induction kit R600

Exterior: 

• Full wrap
• Bola b11 19” wheels
• Vogtland lowering springs
• Carbon canards
• Carbon front grill
• Maxton splitters
• Carbon badges
• Carbon spoiler
• Tinted windows
• Chameleon windscreen tint
• Carbon mirrors

Interior:

• Carbon steering wheel
• Carbon wrapped interior
• Bigger paddles 
• Needle colour change 
• Carbon gear shift (DSG)

Forward to today, I can’t believe how far the car has come from what it used to look like when I bought it off my dad. It has had a crazy boost in power and looks completely different. I have made many new friends and seen some amazing cars which continue to inspire me to put more into my car.

Finally, I’ve already mentioned him already but a massive thanks to my good friend and mechanic Chris Brookes for all the work he has done, and again to Shade Wraps for their patience and the work they have done for me and finally to Jared and Hannah for making me a rep for @vagsocietyuk, well worth a look..

Plans for the car: 

I have a few ideas of what I would like to do but I keep changing my mind so who knows what will be different before the next show season……..but I definitely want more power!

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